GOM: Ribbons of Time/End of the Millenium:

BY ALINA
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Island/2924
alinasan@yahoo.com
***********************************************************************

For once Raye did not feel like sitting in front of the fire and praying.  
Instead she stood in the kitchen washing dishes.  The hot water probably 
would have scalded anyone else’s hands, but Raye barely felt the heat or 
the soaked in wetness of her puckered hands.

Her mind just kept playing the scene from last night again and again.  
Tuxedo Mask, no Darien, gripped by that crystal hand that would not let go.  
How many attacks had they thrown at it?  Too many, even when none of them 
had the strength to go on.  The weirdest thing was she felt as if there 
were something familiar about trying to rescue him from the crystal coffin 
that had eventually encased him.

A knock disturbed her, causing her to slip and drop a plate.  As usual Raye 
did not simply allow the small things in life to pass her by with a casual 
“oh well.”  She grew furious as she swept up the broken glass, yelled “I’m 
COMING.” And then violently slid back the door pane, so hard that the 
person on the other side fell against her.

Angrily she shoved the person away.

“WHAT DO YOU WANT” She yelled.  Suddenly she turned beet red.  She’d been 
sure the one knocking had either been Jed or her grandfather, and therefore 
would of course deserve or at least be used to her violent reaction.  This 
was about the last person she’d expected.

“I’m sorry, did I come at a bad time?” Greg asked as he stepped back.

Raye shook her still crimson head.  “I’m sorry, I--”  She really had done 
it this time--knocking over poor gentle Greg!

“You’re bleeding.” He said looking at her hand.

She hadn’t even noticed the cut from the glass in her embarrasment, but the 
pain suddenly flared up and she winced.  Ordinarily she could focus herself 
enough mentally to ignore pain, but after last night she just didn’t have 
the energy left to even try.  Still, she didn’t want to fuss about it.  
“It's nothing.” She replied, her voice almost calm.  “I’m sorry, Greg, what 
brings you here?”

“That can wait.  Raye, you’re bleeding.  Let me help.”  Greg forced his way 
inside and began to hunt in the drawers.  “Where are your bandages?”

“Under the sink--but you don’t have to do this.  I’ll be fine, really.”  
She said, her voice as gentle as the wind rustling through the prayer 
ribbons.

“I’m studying to be a doctor, Raye, consider it a favor to let me practice, 
ok?” He said as he smiled at her.  

She nodded.  If she had ever wondered what Amy saw in Greg, that smile 
would make her stop wondering.

“Its a pretty deep cut though.  I’d lay off washing the dishes for awhile.  
I’ll finish the rest of them for you if you’d like.”  He put away the 
bandages.  “You know, Raye, you were very lucky that you didn’t cut 
anything major, with such a deep cut.”

“No,. I’m lucky to have such a good doctor.”  Raye smiled back “And Amy is 
lucky to have you, but I’m sure you didn’t drop by just to make a house 
call.  What brought you by?”

“I suppose this is a little unusual.”  He put one hand behind his head and 
rubbed his hair distractedly.  With a small smile, mainly produced because 
he felt extremely uncomfortable, he said “I suppose I’m here because of 
this new enemy you’re facing.”

“So why not talk to Amy?” Raye said.  “Why me?”

“I can’t talk to her, at least not about this.  She doesn’t want me to be 
involved.  I suppose she thinks she’s protecting me, because I don’t have 
powers like the rest of you, but honnestly, I just feel shut out.” He 
confessed.  “So I thought I could talk to you.”

Raye frowned.  As a priestess people often confided things in her, even 
personal things, but she didn’t always feel comfortable with it.  Especially 
now.  “Greg, are you sure you should be telling *me* this?” She said unable 
to tell him to just stop and find someone else.

“Who else can I tell?  Look, if Serena were here, I’d probably bother her 
about it because she’s...well, you know how she is.  Even if she didn’t 
have the best advice she’d listen, and I’d feel better.  But in a way it is 
best I talk to you.”

Raye shifted her hand, suddenly aware of the odd feeling of the bandage 
constricting her skin.  The tightness matched that of her throat when she 
thought of Serena.  “So, this is about the new enemy you said?”

Greg nodded.  “I know Amy’s been analyzing it.  I've helped some, but I 
think...”  His voice trailed off midsentence.  “Raye, are you hearing it?  
I know you have psychic abilities too.  Do you hear the crystal calling 
you?”

“Calling?”  She asked, as her hands gripped the table, pain darting through 
the bandaged hand. “You mean its trying to communicate?”

“I think so.  Amy can’t get a fix on the signals I’m detecing, and she 
wouldn’t dare say I’m making it up, but she can’t logically understand it.  
I thought I’d compare that with you.”  His eyes shifted to an undertemined 
spot on the wall behind her, as he avoided her eyes.

“Actually I’ve been blocked from using any of my other powers.  I keep 
trying to make some connection in the fire with the crystal, but I can’t 
see anything.  I don’t even have a nightmare to warn me.  Its very 
strange.” Raye replied.

Greg frowned and exhaled a pent up breath.  “I really thought and hoped 
you’d been able to learn something.  There really is nothing else I can do 
then.  I think I have to go talk to it.”

“What do you mean?”  Raye asked.  The soft hair on the back of her neck 
rose up, and her intuition screamed at her to stop Greg.

“What I said, Raye.” He smiled.  “Can you give this to Amy?  You all have 
protected me before, so now its my turn to try and return that favor.”

“Greg, if you think I’m going to let you be that mysterious and walk out of 
here--” Raye stood and instantly felt dizzy.

“You’ve lost quite a bit of blood Raye.  You’re not in any danger, but you 
shouldn’t move for awhile, at least not so quickly.  Doctor’s orders, ok?  
You’re probably the only patient I’ll ever have, so, please try and 
listen.”  He smiled and walked out while Raye gathered the strength to 
stand and chase after him.

The door to the hall slid back and Jed walked in.  “Who were you talking 
to, Raye?”

Raye looked up at Jaedite.  “GREG--you’ve got to stop him!”

“Greg? Amy’s fellow?  Why do I need to stop him--- what did he do?”  Jed 
asked surprised by Raye’s frantic state.

“He hasn’t done anything, its what I think he’s about to do!”

“--Raye, you hurt yourself.”  Jed took her hand in his as he notced the 
blood soaked bandage.  He looked at the floor.  “Is all this blood yours?  
Did Greg do this?!”

“Of course not, you idiot! I cut myself.  Greg just bandaged me.” She said 
angrily.  “But now he’s going--

“Let Amy worry about Greg.  I’m worrying about you.  If I knew how to do 
that healing spell--I’ll call Malachite, he knows how to do that I think.”  
Jed said as he gathered his energy to transform.

“I think Greg’s going to try something with the crystal that will kill 
him!” Raye yelled in one blast before Jed could change.

“What?” Jed said stopping the spell.  “Are you sure?”

“OF COURSE NOT!”  Raye yelled.  “I don’t have time to be!”

“Come on. He’s only human, so how far and how fast can he get?” Jed said 
reasonably.  “I want to make sure you’re alright first, that is more 
important.”

“No it's not.  He may be human, but this is Tokyo.  There are trains and 
buses you know.”  Raye snapped pulling her hand away from him as he tried 
to kiss her injured hand.  “If you don’t go, I WON’T BE ALL RIGHT!”

“That’s what I love about you Raye.  You’re so romantic.” Jed teased as he 
saluted and ran out the door barely avoiding a frying pan flying at the 
wall.  

********************************************
FUTURE: CRYSTAL TOKYO
**************************************
Hotaru dropped the drink she was holding, the contents splattering all over 
the floor.  Seconds later she followed it down to the ground, shaking.  
Saphire, who has been walking around the garden looking for her saw her 
just as she fell.

“Saphire--” She whispered.

“Hotaru? What’s going on?”  He asked concerned.

“Its happening.  What I was brought here to do.”  She looked up with tears 
in her eyes.  “I’m sorry I didn’t get to know you better.  But maybe in 
another life I will get the chance?”  She sounded as if she were pleading.

“What do you mean?  What’s wrong with this life?”

“I’m about to do what you and Diamond could not.  I am going to Destroy 
Crystal Tokyo.”  She said.  “SATURN UNIVERSAL POWER MAKE UP”

His grip on her arms was shattered as the transformation surrounded her 
body.  He could barely glimpse her outline as dark ribbons of energy draped 
her form, replacing her usual dark outfit with the uniform of a Sailor 
Scout.  No, not the uniform of a Sailor Scout.  While the top was white and 
trimmed with dark purple, it was actually more like a captain’s uniform 
than the Sailor Scout uniform’s he’d grown used to seeing.  A close fitting 
long sleeved jacket covered the top of the dark purple tailored pants that 
dissappeared into her knee-high boots.  A short ribbon pinned the symbol of 
her planet just above her heart.  

“What’s going on Hotaru!?” He asked her.

“Saphire, I am not Hotaru.  I am Saturn, and the time of destruction is 
near.  The New Age is ending and it is the time of rebirth.”  No trace of 
emotion echoed in these words.  “I must leave you now.”  She merely closed 
her eyes, and was gone.

Behind him, the structure of Crystal Tokyo began to collapse.  A maniacal 
laugh that sounded vaguely familiar began to ring.

“YOU FOOLISH SCOUTS! TO UNDERESTMIATE LIA LA MET! HAH. I'M GOING TO DESTROY 
YOUR CITY, AND THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP ME!  I HAVE CONTROL OF 
YOUR CITY!”

“Saphire! What’s going on!” Serena cried out behind him as she ran into the
garden to stand beside him.

“LOOK OUT!” He yelled as he dove to knock her out of the way of a huge 
falling piece of wall.

“Why is Crystal Tokyo crumbling?!  Everything seemed just fine yesterday!” 
She complained, as her hands clenched his arms.

“I don’t know, but let’s get somewhere safe.  Something is definitely weird 
around here.” He said.

“There you two are--Quick, Mercury has reinforced the base room of the main 
tower, but we don’t think anything else is safe.”  Jaedite said appearing 
out of nowhere.  “We’re not sure what is going on, but I’m sure we’ll have 
it under control soon.”  He didn’t sound very convinced.

He placed his hands on them, and soon they teleported to the interior of 
the main throne room.  

Saphire looked around at the people already gathered.  Other than himself, 
his brother Diamond, everyone else was either a General or a Scout.  No, 
there was someone else, that strange older man who was (Serena had told him) 
once a General, Zoycite was his name.  He seemed to be arguing with Mercury.

Endymion raised a hand to stop their argument.  “Whatever is causing it, 
we’d better stop it.  As far as you can tell, the main computer has been 
corrupted.”

Mercury nodded and so did Zoycite.  

“But we disagree as to how.  I think its a temporary malfunction.”

“And I say that she’s somehow inside that computer...and since she’s part 
of me, in some way, that I’m the one that can get her out!” Zoycite said.

“I’m not sure that is possible Zoycite!”  Mercury said.

Pluto frowned.  “I know.  Your split existence is an accident of time 
travel, but that does not mean you can control her now that your form 
split.  She is separate from you, as separate as any of us are.”

“Then what can we do?”  Queen Serentiy asked.  

“I’m afraid we cannot do anything.”  Pluto answered.  “Everything depends 
on the computer.”

“Blast the computer--Generals, we aren’t going to let her destroy 
everything we have created are we?” Malachite roared.

“We scouts won’t give up without a fight either!” Venus said as she turned 
to the King and Queen.

Serenity gripped the crystal in her hands.  “I hear my mother.”  She said, 
her eyes growing vaguely unfocussed.

“Serenity?” King Endymion asked as he approached her.  

A glowing light surrounded her.  “I understand.”  She said.  “I love you 
all...but I understand now.”

Outside the ribbons began to destroy the shards of the palace.  

“Saturn’s helping to destroy the palace!” Jupiter yelled.

“Then she’s going to have to fight us.”

“DON'T” Saphire yelled as he grabbed Jupiter’s arm.  She easily escaped his 
grasp.

“Saphire, don’t get in the way.  Things are very complicated right now and 
we don’t have time to explain.”  Mars snapped.

Mercury shook her head.  “These calculations are wrong.  Something is 
wrong.  This just can’t be.”

Zoycite frowned as he looked at her.  “What’s wrong?”

“This never should have happened.”  She said.

“But it did.”

“No, that is what the computer is saying. My computer is linked to the main 
computer.  I thought I severed the link--after it started acting 
erratically, but this message keeps coming through.”

Serenity nodded, the eerie glow generating more and more power. “It never 
should have happened.  This never should have happened...none of it. And 
so, this time, it won’t.”

Mars frowned.  “What won’t happen?”

“DON’T!” Serena yelled as she threw herself towards Serenity--but she was 
too late.

Just seconds before black ribbons swept into her, pulling away the walls of 
that central room, a brilliant white light intensified everything into 
oblivion.  

****************************************************************

Mercury looked up from Prince Darien’s frozen form (somehow, the crystal 
had reversed his transformation into that state) when she heard Jupiter’s 
gasp.

“Jupiter, what is it?” She asked.  Jupiter and Neflite  had been standing 
guard in case the crystal moved.

“Neflite--he was just here, a second ago, but I can’t see him now.”

The crystal formations had increased at such a terrifying rate that the 
city block no longer looked like a city block, but instead resembled her 
memories of Crystal Tokyo.  Huge pillars of crystal shards sprouted at 
uneven intervals, creating dark shadows that twisted the remaining sunlight 
of the day.

Mercury frowned, as she suddenly caught a familiar profile crawling through 
the crystal maze.

“GREG!?” She shouted.  


“Don’t stop me, its all for the best.  Its the only way.”  He said as he 
squirmed his way closer to the heart of the crystal formations.

Her computer’s energy counter crackled as she moved closer to where he had 
dissappeared.  “Jupiter, I’m going after Greg.”

When she didn’t hear a reply, she turned to see a solid wall of crystal 
behind her.  She could barely make out Jupiter’s form on the other side--
but no sound travelled through the barrier.

“Greg!” Mercury called, as she took another step, squeezing her way closer 
to the center of the crystal.  If only she could determine what this 
substance was, and how it grew so fast, or at least predict where it would 
grow!  But for now she had to get Greg out of here.  Hopefully her powers 
would be strong enough to break the crystal walls that had sealed her in.  
Or perhaps one of the Generals could teleport the two of them out--
although, Mercury paused.  Her communicator didn’t seem to be working 
either.

Still she could see Greg standing in the center of what had once been the 
University lab, his hands holding a small object, his head thrown back.  
His whole form shimmered with light, and then suddenly, he was gone.

She didn’t have time to be shocked, as she felt the crystal close 
mercilessly, or perhaps, comfortingly, around her.


******************************************************
Jaedite paused on the outskirts of the huge crystal maze that now dwarfed 
even Tokyo Tower.  He’d felt an urgent telepathic message from Neflite, but 
something had terminated that seconds ago, and he was now extremely worried.

Whatever Raye was worried about appeared to be a lot worse than even she 
predicted.

A whoosh of displaced air alerted him to the arrival of Malachite and 
Venus.

“I felt it too.”  Malachite said tersely without any word of greeting.

“Jupiter’s not answering her communicator.” Venus added.  “And neither is 
Mercury.”

“Are they?” Jaedite paused, stopping just short of saying what their fate 
might be.

“They’re probably trapped just like Darien.”  Venus said.  “We’ve got to go 
in there!”

“Venus, you’re not thinking.”  Artemis said appearing with Luna just steps 
behind him.  “You cannot just attack this and not expect to have the same 
thing happen to you.”


“I just can’t leave them there!” She snapped at the white cat. 

Luna frowned and interceded. “Venus, please, Artemis just meant to say that 
you should wait until we can plan a better attack.”

“We’ve been planning for hours and nothing has changed!”  She protested.

“And it won’t.”  Raye said riding up on Jed’s bike.  She was slightly pale 
from bloodloss, and had not transformed.

Venus froze.  “Raye?”

The others looked at her in confusion.  “Raye?”

“It happened before.  It’ll keep happening.  This is Crystal Tokyo--Look at 
it!  This is how it started.”  Her hair whipped around her making her 
expression hard to read.

Jaedite ran towards her.  “Raye--”

“No...listen, we have to change the future we saw...somehow!  “

“Change it? How can we change it when I don’t even know what is going on 
here!” Malachite exlaimed.

“I know one thing.  Maybe I am wrong, but its all connected.  The past, the 
Moon Kingdom, and Crystal Tokyo--its all connected--and we have to change 
it.”  Raye said as crystal slowly sank around her arms. 

End IV